Finding Courage
by Wolfrunner99-2
Summary: Parents, forced to give up their only remaining child to go to war. What could be her story when she is found on the edge of the woods with a strange gem around her neck, ears, and a tail?
1. Melting Cupid's Heart

They stared down at the sleeping form of their only surviving pup. THE only surviving pup. The nightmares had made sure of that. The only reason this one had survived was because her adventurous nature, and sheer dumb luck. They had landed her in a warded safe haven, protected from the rogue nightmare army.

So now she was the last. The only symbol of hope for the Tagars. The war had been at a stalemate. Fearlings had hunted for those foolish enough to stray from their pack. Small hunting patrols hunted fearlings foolish enough to stray from their army.

The land, once lush and joy filled, was bleak and desolate. Once full of playing pups and adoring parents, now only dieing meadow grass that poked through the scattered snow. The parents were out fighting or hiding, and all the pups were gone. All but the one foolish, troublemaking pup. The pup that everyone marked as a disappointment. The runt of the litter. The weakling. The sickly one. The one that wasn't supposed to make it past the first week of life.

The one everyone prepared themselves for the news of its death. Yet, against all odds, she had gotten stronger, gotten healthier. Grown to match her brothers' size. She was stubborn and a fighter. She had made it past the first week, and was now well into a month. At a month old, the infant could cause more trouble than all the older pups at their hardest. It was fitting that the miricle pup was the hope of the Northern Pack. The only girl born into the pack that season, and the only daughter of the Alphas.

The only pup that had been smart enough to listen to the worried conversations of her parents. Who played far away from the ignorant pups. The luck her parents blessed that she was playing next to the guarded haven. At the first sign of battle, she had dove inside, the luck and miricles saving her once again.

The little princess that was now to be teleported away by the Man in the Moon to a planet known as Earth, where no nightmares were strong enough to kill, and where there weakened master had been had finally been defeated. That was why the attack from the rogue nightmare army had been such a surprise. It had never launched an attack on its own, and now there was only two dozen left. But two dozen was plenty large enough to kill a single infant pup.

With heavy hearts, the Alphas gave the only pup left to Manny, leaving the girl with nothing but a name. "Your name, my dear, is Wolfarine Miracle Courage, princess of the Northern Pack, daughter of Hellion Courage and Lupa Hunter." Well, almost nothing but her name. An intricately carved amulet on a silver chain went around her neck, looping around to keep it in place. The moment it touched her fur, it seemed to melt into pale skin, spreading and changing her appearance to that of a human. The only thing that marked her as theirs was the fluffy tail and the wolf ears the popped above the girl's silvery locks. They couldn't see her eyes, but they knew that they would be a piercing blue.

Manny cradled the infant in his arms, then walked through the portal to Earth, taking the Tagars source of hope with him. "Poor child, all alone at such a young age." He hid her in a magical haven, where she stayed for centuries, never aging or changing, until Manny decided it was time for her to go out into the world.

Two hundred and fourteen years ago, he finally did. Laying her in the snow at the edge of the forest that a cottage rested on. Just as he set her down, he came face to face with an angry Cupid. The angel's wings were out to their full span of an impressive sixteen feet. His face was not marred by the scowl that painted his face, but rather enhanced.

"Man in Moon, what are you doing with that poor babe? She'll freeze!" The angel scooped her up, hugging her to his muscular, taking in her ears and tail. The babe cooed in her sleep.

"Angel of Love, do not interfere. I am leaving her for the couple that lives in the cottage. They have been asking for something to love, and she needs someone to love her. I think it is high time that they both have something to LOVE." Manny reasoned with him, eyes never leaving the bundle in the angel's arms.

The angel saw his center in the gaze of the creator of the spirits, and set the child down on the forest floor once more. "You have chosen the Guardians to watch over the children of the world. Let me be her Guardian. I have a feeling that she will need all the love she can get."

"The child will have many protectors, and you will be one of the most important ones. Keep her safe." With that, Manny disappeared to his ruined ship that was referred to as the moon. Achilles Valentine went up to the cottage, knocking loudly on the door. He had dug his feet into the snow to make tracks for the couple to follow if they came out. He silently blessed Jack Frost, thanking him for delivering the fresh snow. He had unknowingly saved the child's future.

The door opened and a woman looked around, eyes going right over Cupid. It hurt, but he was used to it. He nearly jumped for joy when the woman's eyes followed the footprints, landing on the infant babe, lying peacefully in the snow. She raced out and carried the girl into the warmth of the cottage the woman and her husband lived in. He stayed as he heard the couple whisper in disbelief and hope and wonder as they looked over the child. They weren't put off by the ears or the tail, but rather seemed to love her all the more because of it.

He listened as they swaddled her in blankets and decided to keep and raise her as their own. He listened to them as they gave her a name. He smiled as he heard it, the name rolling off his tongue as he said his temporary farewell.

"Farewell, Catherine Elizibeth Tandoori, for now." For the moment, he had a winter spirit to thank. As he left, he could have sworn he saw the now awake child wave goodbye to him.

~_~_~_~ Finding Courage ~_~_~_~

Everyone in the spirit world noticed the change in the big, surly man's personality. They saw the normally the normally emotionless or scowling face SMILE. It took longer for them to find out the reason for this change. And it was all because a certain BOOGIEMAN gave a certain child a nightmare.

At a year and a half, the child had yet to have a nightmare. Pitch Black was intent on changing that fact. So he crept out from the shadows of beneath the crib the child slept in. Nightmare sand swirled, dancing around its master before reaching out to touch the innocent child's head. The child gave out a pleasing cry in her sleep. A cry of a child calling out for help. And help did come, but not in the form the shade had been expecting. Instead of the child's parents coming into the room to comfort the babe, help came in the form of an angel. A lethal arrow destroyed the black nightmare, and another was nocked and ready to fire at the place where the shade's black heart resided.

"Ah, Achilles Valentine. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Pitch smiled, showing off shark-like teeth.

Cupid scowled at him. "Go away, Pitch. You don't touch her. If you do, you will find an arrow through your black heart that holds more evil than the devil himself."

"You would know that, saying as you DAMN so many souls. How is Lucian, by the way? I haven't seen him in a while. Why I don't think I've seen him since TROY. You do remember Troy, don't you? I believe you were killed by an arrow."

He had struck a nerve, but he never expected the punch to the head and then getting thrown out the window. Achilles hovered menacingly over the shade, a look on his face one Pitch had never seen before.

"Spread the word. Catherine Elizibeth Tandoori is under MY protection. The only people other than myself allowed to approach her are the Guardians, Manny, and Jack Frost. If she herself runs into you, then that is fine, but if you approach her to cause her harm, you will be dealing with ME."

Not that he would ever admit it, but Pitch was terrified as he left to spread the word. It spread like wildfire, soon every spirit knew and had gathered together to discuss the child that had melted the frozen heart of the great Achilles Valentine. Before he left, he gave the girl a necklace adorned with charms, that signified those who could be near her without incurring his wrath. Seven charms, to be exact. One, a half moon, another a tooth, then a wrapped present, an Easter egg, then a snowflake, and a wolf that glimmered like golden sand. In the middle of the charms, a heart with an arrow through it. When her parents saw this the next morning, they just shook their heads in wonder at the miracle child they had adopted.


	2. Meeting New People

Cathy ran through the woods, excitement barely being contained. Mom was having her baby today! She was going to get a little sister! Her father insisted that it would be a boy, but she knew it was a girl. So her father made a bet that if it was a girl, she would get to name her, but if it was a boy, she would have to muck out the stables where their two horses were kept.

She even had the perfect name for her. Catherine ran into her home, anxious to meet the infant. Being six, she couldn't wait very well. The hat that was ALWAYS on her head didn't help. She just wanted to rip it off, but there were other people in the house, so she couldn't. So instead she fiddled with her necklaces.

Her parents had told her all about the night they found her, and how they didn't know where she got either, but Cathy never dared to take them off. Not even when she took a bath. After what seemed like hours, but was really only three minutes, her father entered the room, looking tired, but smiling.

"Come, Catherine. Don't you want to meet your sister?" Cathy jumped up, pumping her fist triumphantly.

"I told ya so!"

Her father laughed and nodded, admitting his defeat. "Yes you did. So what is my angel going to name her sister?"

"Emily. Emily Swan Tandoori!" Her father smiled at that, happy that the name wasn't something ridiculous like chocolate or something.

"Well, let's go tell your mother what your sister's name is." They entered the room and Cathy almost ran out when she saw how her mother looked. Sweat plastered the woman's hair to her face while dark bruises painted the underside of her pretty mahogany eyes. Shoulders were slumped, and the skin gaunt. Greasy strands of honey colored hair stuck up in places, and overall, the picture had the air of exhaustion. To most people, it wouldn't be that surprising to see this sight, knowing what she had just gone through. But Cathy, being six, didn't KNOW what her adoptive mother had just gone through.

The only thing keeping her in the room was the small bundle in her mother's tired arms. It was pink and loud, and TINY! But to Cathy, it was the most perfect thing in the world. Sure the cries hurt her sensitive ears, but they weren't THAT bad. The little pink infant sure had a set of lungs on her, and a tuft of blond hair sat atop the little head.

"Mama, do you want to hear her name?" Cathy asked. Her mother nodded and mentally prepared herself for a childish name. She was pleasantly surprised when she found herself loving the name Emily Swan Tandoori.

"Do you want to hold her?" Again, her mother was surprised that Cathy wanted to hold the screaming infant. She showed Cathy how to hold her correctly, before setting the baby in her arms.

Cathy nuzzled the infant close, humming quietly. The baby's cries tapered off, becoming happy coos. The babe's eyes opened, revealing spring green. They stared into icy blues, and the two sisters became inseparable, even as green eyes closed in sleep.

Their parents soon found that Cathy was the only one who could get Emily to fall asleep. Cathy insisted on sharing her own room with the child, if only to let her parents get some sleep. Emily grew quickly, years seeming to pass in mere seconds, and before anyone knew, she was four, and Cathy was ten. They still shared a room, though instead of a crib, there was a bed for Emily. Four years was also the year the Boogieman became a problem. He had found that even though he couldn't give CATHY nightmares, he COULD give Emily nightmares. Nightmares became a nightly thing, until Cathy thought of the solution. She plucked the girl from her bed and curled up next to her, providing a comforting presence to the tyke. No more nightmares came after that. It was one thing to risk sending nightmare sand in on Emily when she slept across the room, and an entirely different thing to send it to the girl when she was sleeping right next to Cathy, and the sand could easily go to Cathy instead.

Emily's favorite holiday was Christmas, which was normal for a girl her age. She loved the idea of Santa, the lights, the snow, and the promise of good times. So she was ecstatic when she lost her first tooth on Christmas Eve. When she had asked Cathy what her holiday was, she had cooly declared that it was Easter, and left it at that. But she HAD softened up enough to tell Emily of the wonderful Tooth Fairy.

~_~_~_~ Finding Courage ~_~_~_~

Toothiana herself was flying down to collect the tooth. Ever since she had sent a mini fairy to retrieve Cathy's first tooth, only for it to come back empty handed and with a stern message from Achilles that Tooth and ONLY Tooth could come to the cottage on the edge of the woods to collect the teeth, she had been coming there herself.

With every visit, Tooth was very nearly seen by the light sleeping child. Unfortunately for Tooth, she had forgotten that. The Guardian of memories also forgot her bag of dream sand that she used for just such children. Flying over Maine, where the little cottage on the edge of the woods sat, she shivered in mid air against the cold temperature. Finally getting to the cottage, she magically flew through the window. She shivered again and shook snow from her feathers. Jack Frost must be in the area. Was it really Winter already? She had trouble remembering the dates, what with getting all the teeth in the world and all. But she had a feeling that that night was important, that she should know what day it was.

She was brought out of her thoughts when she felt a knife tip under her chin. "Are you the Tooth Fairy?" A ten year old Cathy asked warily, eyes looking as if they glowed, reflecting the moonlight.

"Yes, little one. I won't hurt you!" Tooth sad nervously while mentally sending a mini fairy to get help. She really didn't care who it was. She just hoped they could get there before an accident happened. She also really hoped that the child would put down the knife. It was a dagger, really.

Thankfully, Cathy did pull the knife, er...dagger, away, but didn't put it down. "Sorry. I'm always a bit jumpy on Christmas Eve. It's hard to go to sleep when you KNOW that someone is going to break into your home, even if it IS Santa."

"It's Christmas Eve? I guess I forgot!" Tooth exclaims quietly, not wanting to wake the other child. Cathy smiled, pearly whites showing that caused Tooth to instantly latch onto for a better look. Cathy staggered back, and Tooth noticed that the girl was wearing a hat… At night.

"Why are you wearing a hat at night? Tooth said, plucking the offending thing off Cathy's head. She gave a little gasp when she saw the ears nestling among the silver hair. The ears were flat against her head, like Bunny's when he was sad, guilty, scared, or embarrassed.

"Now why are you hiding these pretty little things?" Tooth cooed as she soothingly stroked the soft fur on the ears. At that moment, the help she had forgotten she had sent for finally came in the form of a very sleepy Bunny via a tunnel in the floor. In an instant, the hat was back on, and the dagger was pointed at the new uninvited guest. One hand was firmly holding the hat in place, the other steadily pointed the dagger.

"Tooth? Are ya okay, sheila?" The Aussie asked as he hopped out of the tunnel. The pooka saw Cathy's frightened look morph into one of curiosity as she cocked her head to one side and lowered the dagger. Tooth smiled at the positive change in appearance.

"Yes, Bunny. I'm fine. Just got scared by the dagger holding ten year old." Tooth said cheerily. Bunny raised his eyebrows at her tone. She was too cheery and understanding to comprehend sometimes. He turned his attention back to Cathy.

"Did Toothy scare ya?" Bunny asked, low to the ground, ears close to his head, trying to look as least threatening as possible.

Cathy nodded. "I was expecting only one break in tonight, but I guess I forgot that Emily lost her first tooth today. I don't know how, I mean, she wouldn't stop talking about it. It took me forever to get her to sleep. She was so excited that both the Tooth Fairy and Santa were coming." Cathy shook her head in disbelief. She finally lowered her hands fully at her sides, instead of being half raised.

"Ya don't like Christmas?"

"Uh, guy breaks into your house once a year, knows when you are asleep or awake, and judges whether you get gifts or coal based on your behavior, where the verdict could change every day? What do you think? I prefer Easter, personally." Comprehension crossed her young face as she looked at Bunny again. "So I guess that makes you the Easter Bunny? You are WAY cooler than what people say about you!"

"Ha. You make Bunny sound like he is better than me, da?" A Russian voice sounded from the door. Cathy walked over to her bedside and decisively set the dagger on the night table. She seemed to realize that if she hadn't put it down, she was going to stab something. Her hand snapped slyly under her sister's pillow, pulling out the tooth resting underneath and handing it to Tooth silently. Her eyes never left the armed Cossack that entered her room. Bunny glared at at the large man, putting a comforting hand on Cathy's shoulder.

Tooth remembered Cathy's ears. She zoomed over to Bunny and whispered in his ear. "Bunny, Cathy's hat. Take it off." Bunny tugged on it, snapping Cathy out of her stare contest with Santa Claus.

"HEY!" She tried tugging it back down, but Bunny was stronger and wasn't having any of it. He got it off before she could get a good grip on it and threw it to the ground, picking her up and holding her close so she couldn't retrieve it. Her ears were still flat against her head as everyone stared at them.

Bunny ran a paw over them, and they spang up at the contact. "Now why do ya think it would be a good idea ta hide these?" He scolded sternly. He kept petting the ears, never letting go of the girl.

"Mama and Papa don't want me to be picked on because I'm different. I have a tail, too."

Bunny nodded understandingly. He could see that point. "Who else knows about this?"

"Just Emily, Mama, Papa, and my Angel." Bunny nosed her temple at that, prompting her to continue. As he did, he saw her necklaces, paying particular attention to the one with the seven charms.

"Ah, you're the girl that softened Achilles heart." Cathy nodded eagerly.

"He says he's with Jack Frost to keep him company on Christmas. Normally only Sandy keeps him company." Cathy said, not getting the slightly guilty looks the adults were giving each other. She shrugged it off.

"Well, how about ya get ta bed, ya little ankle bitah." Bunny said, finally letting her go.

She gave them a deadpanned look. Did they really expect her to go to sleep after this? As if on cue, a golden glow filled the window, and three figures entered the room as the wind lifted it open. Achilles took one look at the still awake Cathy and pointed sternly at the bed. "No." Cathy defiantly declared, stomping her foot to get the point across. There was a staring contest as the two seemed to argue with looks alone. Finally, Cathy pulled out the most unfair puppy dog face in the world, ears tilted back, eyes glowing wide, and lip slightly out.

"Aw, come on, Valentine. Give the kid a break." Jack put in helpfully, or rather UNhelpfully, completely melting at the look. Tooth and North had fallen for it as well.

"Yes, Cupid! Give me a break!" Cathy's eyes, if possible, got bigger. Achilles didn't even flinch. He had dealt with it before.

"Bunny, hold her still. Sandy…" Achilles said quietly, almost breaking as the girl struggled then slumped against the pooka as the dream sand hit her. Bunny gently tucked her in with expertise no one had known he had. Achilles stood at her bed side, stroking her hair and ears. "Stubborn girl. Never could do as you are told." He scolded.

They stayed for a while until North and Sandy were brought back to their duties. Tooth left as well, claiming to have been gone for far too long from her fairies. Jack left, unable to stay in one place and NOT ice something for such a long time. Soon, even Bunny and Achilles were forced to go as the sun began to rise. But even years after, they found themselves going out of their way to check on the girl, watching as she grew. Then their hearts almost stopped one fateful day.

_**A/N: Mwa ha ha ha! I am going to leave you with a cliffhanger! But you probably can guess what happens. See ya soon! I love reviews and what people think of this, so please tell me! Love ya'll! Thank you to all my reviewers! All three of them! **_


	3. Wolf Attack

The sun shone down merrily as the two sisters walked through the forest to their home on their way home from town. Sure, they probably should have stuck to the road, but it was faster this way. Besides, what's the worst that could happen? At 14 and 8, they thought of themselves invulnerable to anything.

Or at least that's what Emily insisted as she dragged her elder sister through the forest, snow piling around them as a light dusting fell. "Emily! We shouldn't be in here! I have a really bad feeling about this!" Cathy hissed at her sister, staying close to her side, hat off so she could hear better. The sounds of yips and howls a while off were getting her on edge as they slowly began to creep closer to the siblings.

*CRACK*

The siblings froze, hearing the snap of a branch or a stick, but far too loud to be a twig. "Cath? What was that?" Emily was scared, Cathy could hear it like the branch that had caused the fear in the first place.

"I- I don't know. It was probably just a squirrel that landed on a dead branch and it fell." Except for the fact that all the little critters were in hibernation right now, and she hadn't heard those wolves in a while. And the last time she HAD heard them, they had been awfully close.

Her sister nodded, accepting this explanation. At least until a flash of fur rushed passed them. That was all it took for the siblings to take off running. They actually managed to get to the edge of their home before they were surrounded by the wolf pack. "Emily. Climb a tree. Now. Hurry!" She practically shoved her sister up the nearest tree, she herself staying at the base long after the younger girl had reached the safety of the high branches.

"Cathy! Why aren't you coming?" Emily was holding onto the tree for dear life, if the tree had been a person, their blood circulation would have been cut off.

"I will! Just hang on, and DON'T climb down." Cathy ordered as she backed against the tree, looking and listening for the wolves. She didn't have to wait long, they appeared moments later, snarling and snaping their teeth. "Maybe I should have climbed the tree," she hummed under her breath. The wolves fanned out around her, pacing angerly as though they wanted to attack but had been ordered not to yet.

"Cathy! We're gonna die!" Emily was crying pitifully, fear overtaking the child, even though she was safe.

"No, Emily. We are not going to die. We're going to be fine, we're going to get out of here, back to Mama and Papa, and we will be JUST FINE." Cathy had picked up a large branch and was holding it ready like a club. The wolves, eight of them that she could see, still made no move to attack, their shiny black fur standing out against the snow. Cathy wondered how they could all be black wolves, and how their fur seemed to shimmer.

A scary thought passed her mind, what if these were the demon wolves that were said to lurk in these woods, hunting down and scaring their victims to death, making themselves grow stronger as they fed off the fear. It was said that even the devil feared these canines. "Nice doggies. Go away now. Leave us in peace." She tried coaxing them to go away, but they only stared at her, stopping their pacing.

"Okay, that was… odd. Almost as if they understood me." Her ears, previously standing erect on her head, slowly lowered themselves, catching the attention of the wolves. She also lowered the makeshift club, careful not to look any wolves in the eye. Cathy was on auto-pilot, letting her body act while she thought of a plan, but was distracted when out of the corner of her eye, she saw a bright flash, deep in the forest. She wondered what was going on over there. But she was more concerned on making herself not look like a threat while at the same time keeping herself off the menu for tonight's dinner.

A howl ripped through the air, a signal to the other wolves. The semi-circle tightened, leaving no room for escape but up, but Cathy didn't have time to climb the tree. She raised her club once more as a bold wolf took a snap at her leg.

"HEY! No! Bad wolf!" Did those words just come out of her mouth? She sounded like a three year old! She shook her head as the same wolf took another snap at her leg. "Don't you learn?" She hissed as she hit the wolf with a sickening crack. A strangled yelp followed as the wolf backed away, paw over its muzzle.

A growl drew itself from deep in the chest of one of the wolves. He was easily the biggest, and he looked angry. He stalked closer to her growling up a storm. He leaped at her arm, the one holding the club, speed so fast, he was a blur. Cathy moved the club ever so slightly to make it so that, instead of flesh and bones, the wolf got wood. Emily gave a raspy scream at the sight. The wolf wrenched the makeshift club from Cathy's grasp as the other wolves comforted the wolf who had been hit.

"Sorry! But did you seriously expect me to let him bite me?" Cathy reasoned before calling herself crazy for talking to wolves. She winced as she saw blood leaking from the wolf's muzzle. "Oh, I didn't want to hurt you!" Cathy loved animals. She hated the fact that her father hunted animals so they could eat, and she absolutely refused to eat rabbit after meeting the Easter Bunny.

She inched closer to the injured wolf, tearing a piece of cloth off of her winter cloak as she did so. The wolves stepped away from the injured wolf, giving her space to get closer. She held up the hand with the cloth and brought it closer to the wolf. She was an inch away when the sharp canines dug into her hand, drawing blood. She drew back her hand with a gasp before tentatively reaching once more to the wolf's muzzle. The rest of them were watching her hand like hawks, growling slightly when her hand finally pressed the cloth against the wound.

"That's it. Don't attack. Just leave us alone and be on your way." Another flash of light danced across her vision, and she knew that she wasn't imagining it because the wolves all snapped to attention in the direction the light had come from. Unfortunately, the injured wolf also snapped up towards the now nonexistent light. "Oh no."

The wolves were back to offense, attack first, study prey later. Cathy backed up to the tree that her sister was tucked away in, not liking the fact that there was blood in play now. Not just any blood, either. It was HER blood. She had a feeling that it wouldn't be the last of her blood to be spilled, either.

"Emily, when Papa gets home from work, I want you to start yelling for help. He should be getting home soon." Cathy called up to her sister, who nodded. "Now I have to figure out how to keep a pack of wolves occupied without killing myself before Emily is safe." She muttered.

Then she got an idea. The wolves hadn't re-made their half circle, leaving her room to run. Taking what she knew about dogs, she hoped that the wolves would chase fleeing prey. If they did, chances of Emily getting away were very high. For herself? Not so much. "Hey!" She shouted before taking off into the forest. Howls followed her as she ran at full speed. She had always been the fastest in the village. But against the wolves, she might as well have been walking. They zipped after her, Cathy leading them deeper into the forest. Away from her sister, away from the flashing light, away from her own safety.

Okay, now she just had to figure out why they hadn't killed her yet. They easily could have, they were practically running beside her. She just pushed herself faster, deeper into the dark. Bad idea, by the way. Cathy was more afraid of the dark than the wolves, really.

The wolves seemed to be driving her somewhere, deeper in the forest, deeper into the dark. She faintly heard Emily yelling for help, which was worrying because that meant she was far enough into the forest that she was lost. In the dark. With wolves chasing after her. In the dark. Did she mention that it was dark? Like, pitch black. The trees were blocking out the moon's light, except for the random patches that splattered themselves to the forest floor.

"Oof!" Cathy groaned as she tripped and fell. She curled over, looking at the deep long gash on her leg. She heard a gunshot and her father calling for her. But it seemed so far away as her visioned dimmed. The wolves surrounded her, circling, getting closer and closer. She felt like she was being strangled, so she tugged at the necklace her parents had found her with. The amulet was shining, glowing stronger as she ripped it away from her neck. The wolves circled closer as the pain and blood loss finally overtook her senses. The last thing she saw as even more darkness overtook her and her eyes finally closed was the moon, shining down on her head, a sad smile seemed to mark its face.

_**A/N: Next chap will be of what that light was during the attack! Yay! Sorry it's so short!**_


	4. Spirituality

Achilles watched his little wolf child walk through the woods with a half proud, half disapproving look. Disapproving because she was in the woods, proud because she was trying to convince her sister that the woods were dangerous. Achilles watched from afar, so she wouldn't see him watching over her. He never heard the wolves until they were all around the girls. The two girls took off running, lucky that neither weighed enough to sink into the snow.

He was about to follow, but found his way blocked Pitch Black. "Move aside, Pitch." He growled, not in the mood for his games.

"Anxious to save you precious favorite? What could be so special about her that makes the great, heartless Achilles into an overprotective big brother, hmm?" Pitch continued to block his way, moving to block him every time Achilles made to get around him.

"Move, BITCH." Achilles ordered as he mocked Pitch's name. The shade's eyes narrowed at this and he swung a nightmare scythe at Achilles, who dodged easily.

"Swing, batter batter, swing!" Achilles mocked as he shot an arrow of light. Light flashed, Pitch hissing in pain. "What's the matter, you vamp? Afraid of the LIGHT?" Pitch scowled and swung again, but the weapon dissolved before reaching Cupid. The fight quickly warped into a full on battle, Achilles never having to do more than block the scythe, then catch his breath as it dissolved and reformed then swung again.

Achilles wanted the battle over, so he took out another arrow of light at Pitch, significantly weakening Pitch. "This isn't over! I will crush you like the insect you are!" Pitch threatened as he faded into nothing but shadows.

"Sure, Bitch. Keep telling yourself that." Achilles scoffed. Then, remembering what had caused his distraction and his meeting with Pitch in the first place, he rushed off into the forest, listening to the sounds of excited howls into the deep forest, darkness enveloping everything. He heard shouting, but just barely, a gunshot far off, screams, then silence. He searched the forest for the sound of wolves once more, until he heard them again. He shot to the noise's origin, hoping he wasn't too late.

The wolves were circling around a sobbing figure who was in the fetal position. The wolves' coats seemed to be melting, black sand pouring from them like water. The formerly black coats were suddenly silver, gray, and brown. The once vicious wolves now looked as though they were confused and expected something bad to happen, with tails and ears down, even the alpha's.

That was weird, he thought. Then he congratulated himself on beating the crap out of Pitch. He had influenced the wolves to go out of their way to attack the girls, he bet. He watched as Cathy clawed at her neck and ripped away one of her necklaces as though it burned her.

The amulet of it was glowing, bright against the blackness of the deep forest that surrounded it. Achilles rushed forward to help her, hand going to rest on her shoulder. A sharp bite to his hand stopped that. The wolves began to herd him away from the dying girl, away away away.

Bright light poured over the girl as she gave up the fight for her life. He turned away even as he was pushed further back by the wolves. Convinced that she was now dead forever, he took to the air. No love would blossom tonight, and the small peice of his heart that was reserved for that little girl closed itself off from the rest of the world. He would return to his castle in Paris, vowing that he would never leave it again.

~_~_~_~ Finding Courage ~_~_~_~

Catherine groaned in pain as the black receeded from her vision. She felt funny, not painfully so, but different. She rubbed her hand over her face. Wait, why was her face all weird? She look down at her hands. They were all furry and pawlike! And her face! It wasn't supposed to have a muzzle on it! Taking inventory, she checked her feet, they were paws. She checked her ears, nope, still the same. Still had her tail. Well, that was okay. Her arms and legs still moved like a regular person, but they were covered in fur. She bet her face was, too!

Her dress actually had made it through the attack without a scratch, her cloak only was torn in the place where she had torn it to bandage the wolf's muzzle. Speaking of, why wasn't she dead? She had blacked out surrounded by wolves, and woken up without a scratch. That just didn't happen. What about her sister! Had her sister run after her and been eaten instead?

Cathy leaped up and almost fell again. Her leg would not support her immediately, pain being too much. Examining the offending thing, she saw that she had a scar and a nasty bruise on it. It must have been where she had cut her leg. The fur on her leg was sticky and red. Not comfortable for her. She swore that as soon as she found her sister and made sure she was alright that she would wash the yucky gunk off of her.

Bracing herself mentally for the onslaught of agony that was sure to come, she took a hesitant step forward. She took another, growling to herself as she fought to stay upright. Her unbalance was half from her injury, half from the odd way she had to walk. She wished she wasn't seemingly stuck between two bodies!

As though answering her unspoken plea, warmth washed over her. It covered her and made her get warm fuzzies in her stomach. Her limbs morphed into more dog-like appearance. She found herself being able to move more easily now that she didn't have such an awkward bone structure. Yay for her! Her dress and cloak seemed to have melted into her body as well.

She took off into the forest, knowing exactly where she was going. She could see her own footprints in the soft earth, leading her away from the ground that reaked of blood and fear. She didn't like the smell of fear, it tasted like burned something. Bad, by any means.

She heard short yips not far off the path she was following, but she didn't react like she had when she was human; fear and nervousness. Now she only felt her own worry for her sister, like the wolves were nothing. Who knows! Maybe they were. She weaved around a tree trunk, only to have to scramble out of a bush. The bush was thorny and the thorns were sharper than cat claws. "Ouch! Note to self: Beware of prinkly bushes!" She had to stop walking to pull a thorn out of her paw. She found it difficult because she wasn't use to moving like this. Now onward to her sister!

She melted at the sight of her sister crying on the gass beside her home. She rushed over and tried to comfort her, getting almost close enough to touch. She lingered just out of reach, not wanting to scare her.

"Oh Cathy! It's all my fault! If I hadn't dragged you in there, you wouldn't be dead! The wolves wouldn't have gotten you!" Emily sobbed before continuing. "Daddy says that the wolves only attacked us because it has been a cold winter and that those wolves couldn't find any food."

"Well, that is true, it has been a hard winter." Cathy mused to herself. "But it wasn't your fault! You can't have know that those wolves would be out hunting!" Emily didn't move at the sound of her voice. Cathy moved closer. "Emily? Are you okay? Didn't you hear me? It wasn't your fault." Emily still didn't move. Their father opened the door and called out to Emily.

"Emily! Come inside! You'll catch your death in this cold!" Cold? It didn't feel cold to Cathy. But now she could see the goosebumps on her sisters bare arms very clearly.

"Better my death than Cathy's." Emily muttered under her breath as she stood. She turned fully towards Cathy, but her eyes passed right over her. Emily began to walk towards the house. Cathy expected her to move around the object blocking her path, but Emily just kept walking. Cathy decided that if she was going to get her sister's attention, and to that she was going to make her sister trip over her. Cathy hunkered down right in front of Emily, just as Emily took another step forward. One more step and she would trip over Cathy.

Cathy looked at the oncoming foot, bracing herself for the weight of her sister coming down on her. The foot moved forward, as though in slow motion, two inches, one. Then it PASSED RIGHT THROUGH HER! Cathy's breath caught in her throat as hot fingers danced along her nerves, making her gasp in pain. Her sister passed through her.

Did she even exist?

_**A/N: I'm sorry. I decided to take a break from writing for a little bit, then a life came and kidnapped me. I wanted to get this chapter out, so it was a little rushed. Sorry if it sucks. Please, yell at me all you want.**_


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